All Scripture Worth Studying

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV)

There are countless ways to go about studying the Bible. We can study book by book or study by topic. We can study alone or with a group. (See the note at the bottom of this entry for my preference.) There are various books on different methodologies for study. All of these can be valuable and useful. But I would like to talk about a couple of small notions that I've found helpful - repetition and the anti-pattern.

Regardless of any method we may choose, we must be willing to read carefully. Really pore over the words. Try to understand them in the context that they occurred then determine how they might be applied today. As we do this, we will see that the text of the Bible is often filled with patterns, repetitions of words or concepts. These repeated concepts are always important.

Consider the way you learn to do most anything. You see it done, you try it, and "if at first you don't succeed, you try, try again." Repetition. If God felt compelled to tell us something more than once, it stands to reason it is very important.

But the technique of particularly interest to me is looking for the anti-pattern. Just when you think you understand the repetition and have that urge to skip ahead, keep reading - do not skip ahead. (Do not pass Go or collect $200.) Just as there are frequent patterns in the Bible, there are frequent anti-patterns. And just as the repeated bits are very important, so too are the subtle differences.

I'll provide a few examples and leave it as an exercise for the reader to find more. First, consider Genesis chapter 1. Depending somewhat on your text, you'll find that near the complete of His creation work for days three, four, and five, God sees that "it was good." (I won't try to explain why day one and perhaps day two didn't have a similar message.) But at the end of day six, when all creation is essentially done, God sees that "it was very good." Why was this sixth day given more emphasis? Some would suggest that this is because the sixth day was the day mankind was made in God's image. Or perhaps, as is suggested in verse 31, God is simply surveying the whole of creation, and is commenting about the relationship of all the parts. Each was good, but together it is very good. A specific answer is not the point of this entry; what is important is that we pause to ponder why the pattern changed. There is something important about the break in pattern.

A second example is found just later in Genesis. Chapter 5 lists Adam's descendants to Noah. We know what important roles Adam and Noah each played. But this list goes on for 32 verses telling us who fathered who and how long each lived. The basic pattern is roughly this: When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh; after fathering Enosh, Seth lived another 807 years and had other sons and daughters. In all, Seth lived 912 years "and he died." But in verse 24, that pattern is broken. "Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." Enoch didn't die; God simply took him. For more on Enoch, read Hebrews chapter 11 and Jude.

My final example can be found in the genealogy of Matthew 1. If you know much about ancient genealogy (and, frankly, genealogy in general), it is very paternal in nature. It was particularly important to know who one's father and grandfather were. It is tempting to breeze past Matthew's genealogy as "just a list of names" and assume that we will or have read details of the important ones elsewhere. We start with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and conclude with Jacob, Joseph, and Jesus. But among all those names, a few should stand out (as the anti-pattern): Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Uriah's wife, and Mary. Significant women in the genealogy of Jesus. As all scripture is useful for teaching, it is worth your time to learn more about these women.

The point here, so aptly described in 1 Timothy, is that all scripture is worthy of our study. God breathed each and every word for a reason. Sometimes He chose to make the importance known through repetition; other times He broke a pattern. Look for these things in your studies. (As you find others, share them in the comments.) May your studies be as fruitful as God desires.

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Note: I highly recommend a small group setting where each member first studies independently and then shares within the group. This allows each member to work through the study themselves but the group ensures that no individual runs too far astray. I've been a member of my local Bible Study Fellowship International (BSF) class for several years. It's a solid program with over 1,000 classes world-wide. To learn more or to find a class near you check out their website.